Overseas Pakistani Friends

Thar coal project will become operational in December 2013, member of the Science and Technology Planning Commission, Dr Samar Mubarakmand, said on Thursday. Talking to a private news channel, he said that the project would bring prosperity in the country. “Pakistan has enough coal reserves that can provide electricity to the country for more than 500 years,” he said.

He said that development work is in progress and the first 50 megawatts (MW) gasified project has almost been completed. He said that the project is to cost Rs8.898 billion with a foreign exchange component of Rs 5.847 billion that was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council last year. Dr Mubarakmand said that the success of the Thar coal project would lead to investment from leading international companies. Continue reading »

Associated Press of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Thar coal project will be operational from December 2013 which will bring prosperity in the country, said Dr Samar Mubarakmand member Science and Technology Planning Commission on Thursday. Talking to a private news channel, he said Pakistan had enough coal reservoirs that could provide electricity to country for more than 500 years. He said work on the projects was in progress and the first 50 megawatts (MW) gasified project has almost been completed. The project will cost Rs 8.898 billion, with a foreign exchange component of Rs 5.847 billion and has been approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council last year. “Finance minister had accepted the demand of Rs 900 million for machinery and equipment keeping in view project’s importance and financial viability,” he added. Dr Mubarakmand assured success of the Thar coal project would encourage global investment by leading international companies dealing with development of underground coal. He said several foreign companies want to participate in the project and have shown their interest in investing the project along with providing their expertise. “These companies are just waiting for the results of maiden 50 MW pilot project—and if the pilot project remains successful, a barrage of investment would automatically pour in the country,” he added.

By Ashfak Bokhari

THE decision to carry out the test burn of coal earlier than the scheduled date of March next year under the Underground Coal Gasification Project is good news. The need for converting coal into electricity to overcome the ever-aggravating power crisis has never been as urgent as it is today.

Dr Samar Mubarakmand, the nuclear scientist, who runs the UGC is also a member of the Planning Commission dealing with this project. The decision to revisit the test burn date was taken after he met President Zardari before his departure for China. Continue reading »

Sources of energy derived from biological sources may reduce global dependence on fossil fuels that emit harmful gases, but they entail the use of large volumes of water and pose the risk of introducing undesirable crops into ecosystems, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warns in a report.
The report, ‘Accessing Biofuel,’ recommends new planning and management approaches to balance the beneficial effects of the production of biofuels — which do not produce gases associated with climate change — with their environmental and social consequences.
“There is no doubt that we need to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and move to cleaner, more environmentally friendly options,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. “But we need to make sure we are not creating more problems than we solve. Continue reading »

MULTAN: A Lahore-based company has started manufacturing solar water pumps with a two-inch diameter water outlet which the company claims is capable of irrigating upto 10 acre crops.

National Engineering’s senior technical manager Sharafat Ali told that alternative energy resources were becoming more relevant by each passing day amid power shortages and the high cost involved. The solar water pump with a two-inch delivery diameter can pump 100,000 liter water out of the ground a day.
Continue reading »

Work is initiated on exploiting energy potential of coal reserves of Thar which will start producing electricity within two years, enough for next 40 Years, without any single Second of Load Shedding. These reserves of coal worth US $ 25 trillion can not only cater the electricity requirements of the country for next 100 years but also save almost four billion dollars in staggering oil import bill. Continue reading »

* ‘Chronic mistrust’ among provinces, central government

The summer’s floods in Pakistan have reopened a quarter-century-old debate on whether to build a large hydroelectric dam on the Indus River or not, a dispute that has split the nation along regional lines.

Supporters say the water reservoir could have prevented much of the floods’ devastation and boosted agricultural production along the river. Opponents say just the opposite.

The debate over the Kalabagh Dam shows how the worst natural disaster in Pakistan’s history, affecting some 20 million people, has unearthed deep fissures in its society. There is a chronic mistrust among the provinces and the central government, and critics accuse wealthy landowners of naked self-interest in wanting to ensure the Indus keeps irrigating their crops. Continue reading »